Book Review: The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley

After years spent living on the run, Samuel Hawley moves with his teenage daughter, Loo, to Olympus, Massachusetts. There, in his late wife's hometown, Hawley finds work as a fisherman, while Loo struggles to fit in at school and grows curious about her mother's mysterious death. Haunting them both are twelve scars Hawley carries on his body, from twelve bullets in his criminal past; a past that eventually spills over into his daughter's present, until together they must face a reckoning yet to come. This father-daughter epic weaves back and forth through time and across America, from Alaska to the Adirondacks.

Both a coming-of-age novel and a literary thriller, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley explores what it means to be a hero, and the cost we pay to protect the people we love most.

My Takeaway

“Everything breaks if you hit it hard enough.”Hannah Tinti, The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is beautifully written, enjoyable and worthy of reading. It touches on a father and daughter’s fierce love, acceptance, sacrifice, and survival. Samuel Hawley is a shady individual, he has a bad temper, and is lawless. However, his love for his daughter Loo and deceased wife (Lily) is astronomic and immeasurable. Samuel has endured and survived twelve bullets throughout his criminal life, but Loo has no idea of the reasons behind them. As Loo gets older she begins to question their constant moves and complex life, including her mother’s mysterious death. The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley is about family, love, regrets, redemption, and forgiveness. Tinti is a fantastic storyteller who brings her characters to life, which stay with you long after you have finished reading the book. By the way, I saw the actual book at the bookstore and fell in love with the cover and inner hard back!

​I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House for giving me an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.